Writing, Published Works & Blog
Artist Chat: Representing Women in Literature
Earlier this summer I had the pleasure of being part of an artist’s chat with to award-winning author Karen Essex. Karen has written many books based on hidden stories behind famous women like Kleopatra, and it was fascinating to hear her insight into how women are represented across the media, and talk with her about…
When Britannia Ruled the Northwest: April Presentation at Folio
I am happy to announce that I am one of four presenters at an upcoming event at Folio: A Seattle Anthenaeum. For those who don’t know Folio, it’s part of a national community of 21 membership libraries in North America that provides a full schedule of programs and discussion groups, as well as library collections…
Artist’s Chat: The Story Behind Widow Walk’s Award-Winning Cover
Creating an amazing book cover While I’m putting the finishing touches on the the manuscript for book III, The Fairness of Beasts and it is making its way through the wilderness that is editing, proofreading, and printing, I wanted to bring together the two gifted artists who worked with me to create all three of…
Help us choose the Book III cover
Designing a great book cover is an intricate project that requires time and craft, and I have always enjoyed the process. For the cover of The Fairness of Beasts, book III in the Widow Walk saga, I am delighted to be working with two of the artists who helped design my previous covers as well.…
Battling the Northerners: Stories that Shaped Widow Walk
During the summer of my second year in medical school, at the invitation of a classmate who also was a Pacific Northwest transplant, I had the opportunity to work with him as a salmon fisherman on a “reef net” boat. That summer, I met several Lummi Tribe Native Americans who live in the area right on…
Who Were “The Northerners” of the Pacific Northwest?
In 1844, a schooner called “Pigeon” was found adrift, empty and burned out, off of Maury Island in the south part of the Oregon Territory’s Puget Sound. The craft’s seven man crew was never found. Natives in the area attributed the disaster to an early morning attack by the “Northerners” who came on longboats. WHO…
Drums of the Castle – Timballo di LaCasella
The following is a recent variation on an ancient recipe, created originally in Valenzano á Bari, by the family of my grandfather, Alfonso. Because the people of his village did not use surnames the way we do now, and because his family had lived within the protected domain of the local castle in Valenzano, when he,…
Recipe: Italian Country Bread with Cannellini, Escarole and Olive Oil
Over the past few months it has been my treat to bring together in cooking classes a variety of friends, college, medical school and high school classmates, fellow writers, physicians and long-lost cousins. We remodeled an already beautiful home on Capitol Hill in Seattle by ripping out a small kitchen and creating a huge, modern…
13 Things to Remember When Writing Historical Fiction
Guest post by Avasta Press Kelsye Nelson, the founder of Avasta Press, hosted a webinar with historical fiction author Gar LaSalle. Gar talked about 13 things to remember when writing historical fiction. He answered questions from the audience at the end of the webinar. Our favorite tip is number 13: Villains abound. Gar writes villains…
Italian Translation of Widow Walk Now Available!
Guest post by Avasta team. [dropcap color=”” boxed=”no” boxed_radius=”8px” class=”” id=””]W[/dropcap]idow Walk is now available with side-by-side Italian translation. You may read the English on one side, and read the Italian version on the other. It is perfect for language learners! Italian description: A metà dell’Ottocento il Nordovest Pacifico, un vasto territorio fatto di foreste impenetrabili…